DPS ref: 13/3187

Ms Margot Kingston foi+request-102-d7c01c91@righttoknow.org.au Dear Ms Kingston Request for access to documents under Freedom of Information Act 1982 I refer to your email dated 1 May 2013, in which you made the following request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act: I recently published an article on the press gallery (http://australiansforhonestpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/your-guide-to-thepress-gallery-and-its-gatekeeper/), and several readers have asked for a list of present members and who they work for. I understand you have that list because you are responsible for maintaining the security pass database. I request a copy. For the purpose of this response, I have determined that the requested document include the names of current press pass holders. I am an authorised decision-maker under section 23 of the FOI Act. Third party consultation and extension period I wrote to you on 29 May 2013 stating that I had determined that the people listed in the document, as third parties to your request, might reasonably wish to make an exemption contention. In that letter I notified you under section 15(6) of the FOI Act that I had determined that the requirements of section 27A make it appropriate to extend the period for dealing with this request by a further period of 30 days. That extension period ends on 30 June 2013. Release of document I have considered the individual submissions received from third parties requesting that their personal information be exempt from disclosure, four of these submissions were from technical or administrative staff and not journalists, and I have accepted the personal privacy reasons provided. Consequently, those third parties have been excluded from the list. Approximately fifty press pass holders were unable to be contacted and the Department is seeking confirmation of their status from the Press Gallery. Therefore, the attached list should be considered a partial release. You will be notified if additional names are added to the list. The list, including names and the organisation for which they work, is attached.

Parliament House PO Box 6000 ACT 2600 Australia T: +61 2 6277 7111 ABN: 52 997 141 147

Review of decision Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you may apply for an internal review of this decision within 30 days of receiving this correspondence. If you choose to seek an internal review, you will subsequently have a right to apply to the Australian Information Commissioner for a review of the internal review decision. Alternatively, under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may seek review of this decision by the Australian Information Commissioner without first going to internal review. Your application must be made within 60 days of receiving this notice. The Information Commissioner is an independent office holder who may review decisions of agencies and Ministers under the FOI Act. More information and contact details for the Information Commissioner are available on the Information Commissioners website www.oaic.gov.au. You may also complain to either the Australian Information Commissioner or the Commonwealth Ombudsman about action taken by the Department in relation to the application. The Ombudsman will consult with the Information Commissioner before investigating a complaint about the handling of an FOI request. If you wish to discuss any aspect of this matter, please contact me on (02) 6277 7102 or by email at dianne.heriot@aph.gov.au. Yours sincerely

Dianne Heriot Parliamentary Librarian 28 June 2013

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